Project Templates¶

Templates let you create reusable project structures — phases, tasks, durations, and a default timeline — so you can spin up a new project from a proven plan in seconds.

Creating a Template¶

Go to Projects → Templates
Click + New Template
Enter the template name, description, and Default Duration (in days)
Add Phases, and within each phase, add Tasks
Save the template

Using a Template¶

When creating a new project, select Create from Template
Choose the template and enter the project's Start Date
All phase and task dates are filled in automatically based on the template
Review and save

How Dates Are Calculated¶

When a project is created from a template, all dates are calculated automatically from the project start date and the offset/duration values defined on each phase and task. You don't need to enter dates manually — the template defines the relative timeline, and the system works out the calendar dates.

Fields You'll See on Phases and Tasks¶

Field	Where	Relative to	Meaning
Offset (days)	Phase	Project start date	Days after the project starts that this phase begins
Duration (days)	Phase	Phase start date	How long the phase lasts
Offset (days)	Task	Phase start date	Days after the phase starts that this task begins
Duration (days)	Task	Task start date	How long the task lasts

Tip

Set Offset = 0 for the first phase, and Offset = 0 for the first task in each phase so they start on day one.

Worked Example¶

Take a template called "Villa Construction" with a default duration of 120 days:

Phase: Planning          offset 0    duration 30
  Task: Site Survey         offset 0    duration 3
  Task: Permits & Approvals offset 5    duration 10
  Task: Final Plan Review   offset 25   duration 5

Phase: Construction      offset 30   duration 60
  Task: Foundation          offset 0    duration 14
  Task: Framing             offset 14   duration 21
  Task: Electrical & Plumb. offset 21   duration 30

Phase: Handover          offset 90   duration 30
  Task: Final Inspection    offset 0    duration 5
  Task: Client Walkthrough  offset 10   duration 2

If you create a project from this template with Start Date = May 1, CrewStat produces:

Project: May 1 — Aug 29 (120 days)

Planning (May 1 — May 31)
  Site Survey          May 1  — May 4
  Permits & Approvals  May 6  — May 16
  Final Plan Review    May 26 — May 31

Construction (May 31 — Jul 30)
  Foundation           May 31 — Jun 14
  Framing              Jun 14 — Jul 5
  Electrical & Plumb.  Jun 21 — Jul 21

Handover (Jul 30 — Aug 29)
  Final Inspection     Jul 30 — Aug 4
  Client Walkthrough   Aug 9  — Aug 11

Change the project start date and every phase and task shifts by the same amount.

Using Task Dependencies Instead of Offsets¶

Instead of calculating offsets by hand for tasks that must run in sequence, use task dependencies. When a task has a Depends On link, its start date is automatically pulled from the previous task's end date.

Without Dependencies (Manual Offsets)¶

Task A: offset 0, duration 3   →  May 1 – May 4
Task B: offset 3, duration 2   →  May 4 – May 6
Task C: offset 5, duration 4   →  May 6 – May 10

If Task A's duration changes to 5 days, you must update Task B's offset to 5 and Task C's offset to 7.

With Dependencies (Automatic)¶

Task A: offset 0, duration 3                    →  May 1 – May 4
Task B: depends on Task A, duration 2           →  May 4 – May 6
Task C: depends on Task B, duration 4           →  May 6 – May 10

If Task A's duration changes, Task B and Task C shift automatically — no manual updates needed.

When to Use Which¶

Offsets — for tasks that start at a fixed point in the phase (e.g., a kickoff meeting on day 0)
Dependencies — for tasks that must wait for another task to finish (e.g., testing starts after development)
Both — a task with a dependency ignores its offset and uses the dependency's end date instead

Overlapping Tasks¶

Tasks within a phase can overlap. In the villa example above, "Framing" starts on day 14 and "Electrical & Plumbing" starts on day 21 — they run in parallel for 14 days. This is normal for construction projects.

If you'd rather have tasks run strictly one after another, set each task's offset to the sum of all previous tasks' durations:

Task A: offset 0, duration 5   →  days 0–5
Task B: offset 5, duration 3   →  days 5–8
Task C: offset 8, duration 4   →  days 8–12

Or just use dependencies — they do the same thing without the arithmetic.

Phase Predecessors¶

Phases support two things at the same time:

Offset — positions the phase at a specific day in the project timeline
Predecessor phase — blocks the phase from starting until the predecessor completes

The offset sets the planned start; the predecessor controls whether the phase is actually allowed to begin.

Tips¶

Set Offset = 0 for the first phase and the first task in each phase
Phase offsets usually grow across the project: Phase 1 = 0, Phase 2 = 30, Phase 3 = 60
If a task should start the moment its phase begins, set its offset to 0
A Duration of 0 or 1 means the task is due the same day it starts
Prefer dependencies over manual offsets for sequential work — they keep the plan correct when durations change